Partners
by Jazz Lolipop
Summary: Alec had another breeding partner before Max; a young X5 with a mind of her own. Friendship and love grow in the most unlikely of places. Alec and an OC set pre and post season 2.
1. 494 and 500

500 and 494

I sat in my cell folding and unfolding the hem of the blanket. I stood up and stretched and began pacing the room in restless agitation. Slumping against the breeze block wall I sighed.

I thought I was supposed to be a soldier. It had taken the board or 'our lords and masters' as I liked to think of them all of two seconds to decide to turn me into mommy to as many little mutantkins as possible when the DNA bank had blown up in their faces. They had turned me from a highly trained soldier into a "Prostitute!" I hissed and glared at the opposite wall kicking out angrily.

The bolt slid back and the door opened. I didn't get up from my position on the floor. He looked down at me. I stayed silent trying to burn a hole through the reinforced steel with my eyes. Hey, who knew what kind of goodies I had hidden in my gene code?

"I'm X5-494." He offered finally.

"And I'm your entertainment for the night?" I asked bitterly.

"It's just an order." He said.

"Way to make a girl feel special. I'm 500." I kept my eyes focussed on the door, in my head a sergeant yelled _"EYES FRONT!"_ See? I am putting my training to good use.

"If I sit down next to you will you punch my lights out, babe?" he asked.

I recognised the common verbal usage. I'd taken the class myself. "Call me 'babe' one more time and I can't promise anything. I may not be able to keep my hands off you. But that's the mission objective isn't it?"

He chuckled and settled himself carefully next to me about an arms length away. "Afraid of me?" I asked.

"That's to leave space for the elephant in the room." That got a giggle from me and I snuck a look at my 'breeding partner' from underneath my thick lashes. Naturally he was attractive, all that mucking around with genes made all the X5s striking. He caught me looking and grinned. I noticed that his smile tugged one corner of his mouth up more than the other. He had expressive hazel eyes under strong brows, but I recognised the thinly veiled pain in them.

Killing wasn't easy. You killed a bit of yourself each time.

"I never understood that one." I said.

The guard peered through my door. "Aren't you two supposed to be a bit closer?" he asked smirking lewdly.

I sprang to my feet, over to the door in lightening speed. "Pervert." I hissed and tugged off my regulation shirt to cover up the gap in the metal effectively shutting off his free porn.

I tuned around furious to find 494 staring at me. "Oh come on! If all goes according the plan you'll be seeing a lot more." Any friendly feelings I might have been forming towards him had rapidly evaporated. "Let get this over with."

"How romantic." He said but pulled his shirt off anyway.

I stalked towards the cot and spat "Bite me." over my shoulder.

"As you wish."

* * *

494 was waiting in my cell when I came back from night training. "This place really isn't big on R 'n' R is it?" I sighed wringing my hair still damp from showering off the muck I had crawled through. Although I was uncomfortable with my solo missions I can't say I missed the relentless training. Freedom was addictive. Dangerously so.

"If you're tired you can just sleep you know."

"But… what about the 'mission'?" I asked putting in the inverted commas with my fingers.

"I won't tell." 494 said, winking. I looked longingly at my bed. "Go on, sweetheart!" he urged. I lay down letting my tense muscles relax and loosen. 494 sat down on the floor resting his head on my pillow and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Technically we are going to be sleeping together." He pointed out.

"Do I tire you out?" I joked trying to suppress a yawn. Unlike some of the members of my unit I did need about four hours a night to feel almost human. Maybe it was the feline DNA that made me enjoy my catnaps so much.

I shut my eyes and drifted off almost immediately but not before I felt a slight pressure on my forehead. Like someone had kissed me very gently.

* * *

I prowled my cell. It was just like the first night 494 had arrived but this time it was not anger that made me feel like crawling up the walls to relieve the tension coiled tightly in my muscles. I knew what this was. Damn it.

I was in heat.

The previous couple of times they had just locked me up and when I had finally finished gauging holes in the walls they slung me back in my cell to sleep the following exhaustion off.

But now all I could think about were broad shoulders… and strong arms… and hard muscle… and other, ahem… parts of the anatomy

The bolt slipped back and 494 entered just like any other night except this night instead of a few minutes of awkward conversation I just cried out, "About time!" and launched myself at him.

Credit to his enhanced reflexes he caught me quickly as I wrapped my legs around his waist. I ignored the guard's low whistle and hungrily met 494's lips with mine.

Can I just say right now; WOW!

I was pretty sure it wasn't just my crazy hormone levels that made me feel tingly all the way down to my toes. This guy could kiss!

He pulled back gasping for air. "What was that, angel?" I ignored him already fisting his shirt in my hands and trying to pull it over his head before I lost all patience and just ripped the damn thing right off. "Oh!" he said comprehension dawning in his eyes. "Oh."

"C'mon!" I moaned. In the back of my mind I was yelling _"Have some pride woman! Where the hell is your self control?"_ but I quickly told my mind to shut up and stay in its own business.

494's eyes were already turning black and I could tell that my pheromones were setting off his own chemical overload due to his wacky feline DNA. I threw away any vestiges of self control. This was going to be fun…

494 smirked as I lay on my side my back plastered against his chest. In my cold, brutal world I had never felt so close to anyone. Emotionally I mean. 'Cause obviously we were _very_ close physically.

"That felt real." I whispered.

"What do you mean?" he asked playing with a strand of my fiery hair.

I wormed a bit closer relishing the moments before he would return to his own barracks. "More than just a mission." I breathed.

"Yeah." He murmured into my curls.

* * *

The next night the bolt slid back as usual but 494 did not walk in. Another X5 walked in. "Who are you?" I asked.

"X5-673." He said standing to attention. Great, one of those blind followers who ate up propaganda like candy. I did what I was told, it was sorta 'do as you're told or die' thing. But it was obvious that this guy had never had an independent thought since he was mixed up in a test tube. "I'm your breeding partner."

"Where's 494?" I asked frowning.

"He's been reassigned." I quickly concealed the pain that I felt. It was stupid anyway, I told myself. Stupid to feel anything. What did I think? That Manticore were going to let us stay together? Date? Yeah right!

My new partner started taking off his belt and looked at me, shocked that I wasn't doing the same. This guy was clearly never going to get a solo mission, you needed to be able to think on your feet, make decisions. He wouldn't last a second without instructions. Manticore really screwed us over.

Suddenly fury thrummed through my veins. "No." I said before I could think it through.

"No?" the look on his face would have been comic if I wasn't risking a month in isolation.

"I… um… I think I may be pregnant already. I've been feeling a bit funny."

"We should alert someone!" he said almost tripping over his discarded shirt in his eagerness to get to the guard.

"No!" I said hurriedly. "I want to be sure first. So maybe you could just stay here until the guard comes?"

"I don't know." He said. Yeah, I get it, I thought, you don't know much.

"I can't risk the pregnancy! That was the mission objective." I said carefully.

"All right." He said and then proceeded to spend the next two hours standing in the corner of my cell. I couldn't sleep with him watching me! He was severely creepy.

The next week when the tests they made me take weekly came back negative I began to think again. This time I 'accidentally' kneed him in the crotch so that he spent most of his time in the foetal position on the floor and announced "Copulation successful." before he could get a word in edgewise in the morning. But I was running out of ideas fast.

Fortunately for me he didn't come the next night. Unfortunately it was because I was about to be burned to death. A swift kick to the door would have been useless if the bolt had been shut but the fates must have been smiling on me as it wasn't. I stumbled out into the choking smoke and ran full pelt down the hall. I passed doorways full of terrified faces, children's faces. "I'll be right back!" I called.

There was a guard hurrying towards the exit I punched him squarely in the face feeling soft bones give way under my knuckles. I grabbed his gun hating how comfortably my fingers wrapped around it. "STAND BACK!" I yelled aiming the gun at the lock the kids poured out. "Get into the woods and then run! Don't stop!" I called after them. I freed all the occupants of all the dormitories on the corridor and then ran for the fence myself. I leapt over it savouring the feeling of flying through the air for a few milliseconds before landing on the other side absorbing the impact expertly with my knees. Freedom.

"X5-500!" I stiffened and turned to see 673 behind me. I had been running all night and all day and most the tonight too.

"Look!" he pointed to the sky and I saw a bright light flashing above our heads weaving in and out of the billions of stars. "It's the signal. The rendezvous is about 20K from here. Let's go."

I scoffed. "Forget it! We're finally free! Like hell I'm going back!"

673 stood with his feet wide and bent slightly. "Come with me soldier." He said.

"Bite my ass freak boy. I'm not a soldier anymore." He rushed at me but I was ready for him I planted my foot firmly on his chest and pushed him to the ground. He struggled to his feet but I kicked his legs from under him and sent his sharply back to the leaf strewn floor. "I'd stay down if you want to make it to the rendezvous in one piece. I'm sure you'll want to look your best when the murder you. Mark my words they'll want to clean up their mess. That's _us_." Then I set off in the opposite direction.

I was free. For now…


	2. Angel and Alec

Angel and Alec

I crouched low to the ground carefully watching the guards patrol the perimeter. Silently I ran to the fence and chucked the bag I had brought with me. Hiding in the shadows I pulled out a pair of pliers and began to carefully peel back the metal. The gap was only just large enough to allow a fairly slim, fairly flexible transgenic female crawl through. Luckily I fulfilled these criteria. Not eating for three days helped too.

I pulled myself carefully up and dusted off the dirt from my jeans. I stooped to pick up the bag and then froze hearing footsteps coming stealthily towards me. Slowly I straightened up keeping my hands in the air. A young boy and a lizard like man were pointing two ugly guns at me. "It's alright. I'm an X5." Keeping my eyes fixed on their faces I pulled my hair over one shoulder and turned around showing them the barcode branded onto the back of my neck.

"Okay." The transhuman said. "She's legit Dalton. C'mon girl, we'll take you to HQ." Slinging my bag over my shoulder I trooped after them further into the winding alleys that made up the safe haven for us of the genetically enhanced persuasion. HQ was an abandoned factory or warehouse full of transgenics flitting around, some carrying scrappy bits of paper, some had headphones in their ears listening to police reports and others had spanners grasped in their oil stained hands as they tinkered with various motorbikes and generators.

"Max! We got a new one!" a dark haired women turned around from a table littered with papers.

"Hey. I'm Max." she held out her hand and smiled warmly.

I took it. "Hi, I'm,"

"YOU!" I turned around to see a man making his way towards us. A very familiar man.

Max sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alec, could you not terrify the new arrivals? Seriously." She turned back to the table.

"Alec?" I asked frowning at the man. Because I knew him. I knew him very well. "494!"

494's, I mean, _Alec's_ face broke into a smile but his expressive eyes, the ones I remembered so well, still betrayed some confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"What are we all doing here?" I replied. "Not running. You're called Alec now, huh? Why 'Alec'?"

"She picked it." He gestured at Max, "What about you? You still 500?"

"Yeah, 'cause that had such a ring to it. I'm… Angel." I stood awkwardly not really sure what to do with my hands. I settled with fiddling with the bag strap over my shoulder.

"Why 'Angel'?" he asked. I blushed. "Why? Tell me!" he grinned knowing I was uncomfortable.

I sighed trying to hide my obviously flushed cheeks behind my curly hair. "It was the last thing…" I trailed off. Alec stepped closer and my heart began to beat faster of its own violation. "You called me 'angel' on our last time together."

I kept my eyes averted but felt his stare burning on my skin. I glanced up, caught his gaze and held it. We stood watching each other until someone coughed. "Alec?" Max asked, "You wanna set Angel up with one of the rooms in building 3? We've still got some free apartments left. Than I guess we better get started on another one. Mole can you and Kovu get started on hooking up water and power?" Max turned back to the paper strewn table.

"That your stuff?" Alec gestured at the army surplus bag over my shoulder.

I shook my head slightly to clear it. "No." I dumped the bag on the floor and deftly loosened the ties at the neck. "I brought some stuff I thought people might need." Reaching into the bag I pulled out a wad of material and piled it on an oil free patch of surface. "Clothes, blankets, baby stuff, basic med stuff." I placed the bandages, antibiotics, stitches kits, pain relief, antiseptic wipes and two bottles of the all important tryptophan on top of the first pile. "I nabbed this from a pimp," I placed a pack of cigars on the top.

The lizard like man called Mole pounced on them. "I call dibs!" he growled.

I smiled and tugged out a fat envelope. "I also relieved the fine gent of this cash. I don't know how useful it is when we're kinda cut off but… I really didn't appreciate this guy pinching my ass." I laughed.

Max grinned. "Thanks a lot, Angel. We really need this kinda stuff."

"Glad to be of assistance. I'm sure Master Pimp is pleased to help the transgenic cause also."

Alec pushed open the door to a two room apartment. "It's not much but with so many people here we couldn't really leave everyone in one giant car park. The babies and the females in heat kept things… interesting." He glanced at me and I could tell he was remembering the same thing I was.

I wanted to break his gaze, I wanted to be embarrassed but I couldn't stop a grin creeping across my lips. He smirked back at me. "Oh shut up!" I smacked him playfully on the shoulder.

He clutched at it in fake pain and eyed me reproachfully. I peeled off my leather jacket. "There's running water." Alec said pointing to the chipped sink. "It's not always warm but…" I chucked the jacket over the arm of a battered armchair and splashed lukewarm water over my arms and face and glanced into the cracked, spotted mirror hanging on the wall. I looked the same I suppose. Same alabaster pale skin, wild head of red curls and black eyes. But different somehow. Different smile maybe? Different look in my dark eyes? Different.

"You feeling OK?" I watched his reflection in the mirror.

"Yeah." I smiled and for the first time in a long time I saw my eyes warm too.

* * *

I sat cross legged in the chair and laughed at Kovu's pathetic imitation of Mole. Kovu had a bit too much lion or something in his cocktail, as Max liked to say, his dark gold hair bushed around his face like a mane and he had a wide flattened nose tipped pink, tawny eyes and slightly pointed fangs. He had stuck a pen in the corner of his mouth and was barking imaginary orders.

Someone yelled, "Head's up!" and tossed me a soda. I cracked it open and called my thanks over the room. "Oh." I sighed, "I gotta say I do miss pizza. Ordinaries can't half cook. Hey Alec! You reckon they'd deliver a pizza to this place?" I laughed. Alec barely glanced at me. I chucked a pen at his head, it bounced off but he didn't turn. "Mind the com for me?" I asked handing Kovu my head set. I jogged after Alec's retreating figure. "You OK?" I asked catching up with him.

"I'm always OK." He said keeping his gaze ahead and walking briskly down the street. "You want something Angel?" he asked brusquely.

"I haven't seen you for a while." I said uncertainly. This was not the joking Alec who had talked and laughed with me the past couple of weeks. "Been avoiding me?"

Alec didn't answer me. "Hey!" I lost my temper and darted ahead of him forcing him to stop. "What? That time of the month?" Alec shoved past me. "Alec? Alec!"

* * *

We'd turned the lower floor of an old warehouse across the street from HQ into a sort of gym. Transgenics went there to burn off extra energy. It had been hilarious when four X5s had drove up to the perimeter in a van full of gym equipment and even funnier when we had watched the report on the furious governor whose expensive home gym had mysteriously vanished…

The room had a couple of treadmills, some weights, punch bags with various faces cut out and stuck down, Ames White, Senator McKinley etc. and some crash mats. A few partners were sparring playfully. I scanned the room and saw Alec feverishly pummelling one of the punch bags. Hot fury blazed through my veins. Just who did this guy think he was? What the hell gave him a right to ignore me? I stalked over to him. "Hey!" I yelled. Alec turned around and quickly blocked the punch I threw at him.

Strong fingers wrapped around my fist. "What do you want now Angel?" he asked with barely disguised exasperation.

"I want an apology." I spat back wrenching my hand away.

Alec laughed coldly. "Forget it." I flung another punch at him and he blocked it but only just. "Cut it out."

"Forget it!" I mocked trying to block out the excited mutterings of the gathering crowd. I heard a couple of them quickly place bets. I aimed a kick at him and he caught my ankle yanking me off my feet. Furious I twisted catching the backs of his knees with my shin and sending him crashing to the floor. Lightening fast I straddled his chest and held his arms to the ground. He struggled half heartedly. "I know you have a massive alpha ego Alec but nothing, _nothing_ gives you the right to treat me like you did yesterday. You get it?"

Alec glared up at me. He grabbed my forearms and pushed me hard. I fell back onto mat. Now Alec was kneeling above me my wrists pinned above my head. "I loved a girl once." He said through clenched teeth. "I loved her and she died. It was _my_ fault! I killed her. I have no right to even consider…" he trailed off his eyes suspiciously moist. "You?" he asked mostly to himself, he screwed his eyes tight shut. "You're too good. I… I'm… not." He ended lamely.

"What are you saying?" I whispered keeping very still. I was suddenly extra sensitive of the warmth he gave off so close to me. Alec's brow was furrowed. Very slowly I raised my head off the mat. Our lips were only a breath away when I paused. Alec closed the space between us.

Fireworks danced through my head as we kissed. Alec let go of my wrists to cup my face tenderly between his palms. My hands were clutching his worn, soft t-shirt half afraid that if I let go he would vanish. I forgot about the dozen or so transgenics watching us, I forgot about the covert and overt government agencies that wanted us dead, I forgot that we were surrounded on all sides by frightened, brutal humans. It was just me and him. Nothing else mattered. Just me and him and how much I loved him.

Oh.

Dear.

Lord!

Love? Did I just say love? I did didn't I? Whoa!

Love.

I _did_ love him. I didn't know much about love but I'd heard that you would do anything for the person you love. I knew instinctively I would die in a heartbeat to save Alec a second's pain. I knew that when he looked at me I felt like I was burning. And when he touched me…? Especially as he was now with barely restrained passion managing to perfectly blend tenderness with fervour. Yes. I loved him with every genetically modified fibre of my being.


	3. Freak and Lover

Freak and lover

"Alec!" I pounded on the door again. Max had called me and asked me to meet her at HQ. She had waited impatiently for Alec for a grand total of 6.32 minutes and then had sent me to, and I quote; "see where pretty boy has got his head stuck this time."

So there I was banging on Alec's door and probably irritating everyone in the building. "Alec!"

"What?" Alec opened the door his hair still dripping wet clad only in a pair of frayed jeans. I forgot what I was supposed to be doing and just stood there gazing appreciatively at him. He smirked, one side of his mouth drawing up higher than the other, one of my favourite quirks in him, "Like what you see?" he asked suggestively, confidence just oozing out of him.

I shoved past him, "You know it." I grinned determined not to blush.

"I knew you only wanted me for my body." He sighed in mock disappointment.

I laughed, "Well it was never going to be for your razor sharp wit." I scooped up a t-shirt and flung it at him.

He caught it but didn't put it on, "I think we can have more fun without this don't you?"

"Nice try. Max wants us ASAP."

Alec snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me to him, I resisted, with very little enthusiasm. "Tell her she can't have us. We're busy." His lips burned along my sensitive neck making me shiver and the little git knew exactly what he was doing too.

"She said it was important…" already my resolve was weakening. Dammit! I was an ex-soldier wasn't I? But it was so hard to motivate myself…

"No! C'mon!" I grabbed hold of his wrist and tugged him determinedly down the corridor. I ignored his quiet chuckling behind me.

Max looked up as we entered, "Jeez Alec put a shirt on." Alec slipped the shirt he was still holding over his head. "Right, I have a favour to ask you two."

Alec shook his head, "You want me to crawl through some sewers again don't you?"

The guy called Logan grimaced, "Only a little bit." Although Logan was human he didn't get sick from the toxic waste like most. He'd had so many transgenic transfusions he was almost transgenic himself. "We need you to break into the governor's office. One of my sources says that they've just taken possession of a bio-toxin specifically targeted to transgenics."

"I thought we got rid of that way back when." Alec said leaning back on the table.

"So we thought. But we can't risk taking any chances. Can you and Angel go? Just check it out."

"Yeah, and try not to get killed." Mole puffed on his cigar.

"Or kill anyone, we can't do with any more bad press."

"You hear that honey?" I said to Alec, "Smile pretty for the camera."

Alec laughed and tucked the small pistol that Mole handed him into his back pocket. "Give us half an hour. Then we'll be ready." I nodded.

Twenty five minutes later we were ready. Alec had more guns than I was aware of stashed about his person. I refused any guns, Max and I shared a hatred of guns, but I had a short knife hidden in my belt and lock picks slid into the lining of my jacket. Coupled with my standard issue training in nearly every martial art known to man, and some unknown, I didn't need much else.

We snuck out through the sewers. The catacombs ran throughout the entire city it was easy enough to get past the joke of a 'siege'. The only reason we were staying inside was because Max was trying to work with the humans, not against them.

Alec gingerly lifted a man cover a few inches and peered out. "All clear." He crouched and reached his hand down. I didn't need any help, technically, but I let him pull me up.

The governor's house had pretty high security. I rested my weight on a telephone pole Alec leaning against me his face buried in my hair. To the entire world we were just another couple in a love who couldn't keep their hands to themselves, no way we were casing the place. Oh no. "What d'you think?" Alec murmured into my neck.

"I'd wait till night, more cover. They've got armed guards around the ground but none on the roof. What the hell's this guy thinking? Should be cake. His office's on the top floor anyway."

"So we got some time to kill." Alec said. I unhitched myself from the pole and looped my arm through his. Nonchalantly we strolled along the road. "You know what I'm thinking?"

"Something definitely above PG?" I laughed.

"Dirty mind." Alec feigned horror and flicked me lightly on the nose. "Actually I was thinking; pizza." I stopped dead in the road and kissed him hard. "I'll take that as a yes?" he chuckled one eyebrow raised.

Soon after we were sitting in the corner of a tiny little pizza place with a margarita, a pepperoni and a house special in front of us. I bit into a delicious slice closing my eyes as I relished the cheesy, doughy, tomato-y goodness. "Alec." I moaned in pleasure, "I absolutely adore you."

"So easily bought." He said around his own mouthful of pizza.

"I feel like I should be insulted but it's just so hard to care…"

As one we leapt over the barbed wire and landed with catlike grace on the other side. Alec held up a hand his eyes sweeping the area he nodded once and we set off at a half crouched run until we were next to the building itself. I pressed myself against the cool, rough brick and glanced to my left. All clear. Silently I wrapped my hand around a drain pipe and tested its strength. Then we began to climb. We reached the roof undetected. Alec grinned at me and I too felt a rush of adrenaline at breaking and entering.

There was a skylight leading directly above the governor's desk. I handed Alec a small screwdriver and pulled another one out myself. We made short work of the screws holding it down. Alec lifted it up and off setting it down gently on the concrete. I lay on my stomach and dangled my head down. Looking around the upside down room seemed safe. I briefly gave Alec the thumbs up and then flipped myself over so that I was holding on to the ledge with my fingers my whole body inside. I let go and landed silently Alec jumped down after me. "Get the desk!" I hissed. Alec nodded and began rifling through the draws. I was halfway through the filing cabinet when I heard the terrible click of the safety being flicked off a gun.

Very slowly I turned around to see a tall well built man pointing a gun directly at Alec's heart. I recognised him from the picture on the punch bag. "494." he said cordially, "I do so enjoy getting to kill you over again." I went to rush him but at a click of his fingers five men in full body armour and huge rifles poured through the door. I froze. "Now you" Ames White said turning his dead eyes on me, "are new. You are…"

"About to kick you ass." I said as calmly as him.

"Ah, another genetically engineered smart mouth. You make one move and you're dead. You mutant monster."

"If you don't let us go you'll live to regret it." I said through clenched teeth, "You inbred monster." Through the corner of my eye I could see Alec very carefully pulling out a small gun. Everyone's attention was on me and White. I kept talking. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you're as stupid as you are, I mean all that inter breeding, narrowing the gene pool. Mental problems are rife I hear. Something about snake worship? Missing a padded cell?" Alec took his chance. Three ear shattering shots sounded out and three of the muscle men went down. White lunged at me a dagger clutched in his fist. I dodged but he just caught my upper arm.

One of the remaining armed men aimed at Alec, the shot went wide and before he could fire again my knife had flown from my hand straight into his chest. It wasn't fatal but it was enough to make him drop the gun. "Saved your fine ass!" I yelled at Alec.

Alec wasn't really in the laughing mood, he threw a chair through the window, grabbed me around the waist and jumped into midair. We landed awkwardly in a tangled heap of limbs gun shots pinging all around us. Alec pulled me to my feet and half dragged me to the checkpoint. Kicking a guard off his motorcycle he gunned the engine to life and shot through the barricade me clinging desperately to his back.

There was a small group of transgenics waiting for us at the man cover we'd used to escape. Alec and I dropped gratefully into fetid darkness. "Are you OK?" he asked me holding my upper arms tightly.

I winced, "Alec. Alec you're hurting." Immediately he loosened his grip I peeled back my ripped sleeve and saw a strange symbol carved into my skin one straight line with two intertwining ones around it. Alec sucked in a breath. "What?" I said panicked. "What is it?" I felt scared and hot. "Alec…" I said uncertainly as my legs gave way underneath me.

Alec was at my side in an instant holding me gently against his chest. "You'll be ok. You'll feel sick but you'll be ok. Oh God!" I opened my eyes to see what had caused his horror and saw a dark patch on my shirt. My finger came away bright red when I touched it.

"I don't understand. I don't feel anything." Weakly I pulled up my shirt to reveal smooth skin underneath. "It's not me. It's not, ALEC!"

Alec was looking down in confusion at his side where his shirt and jacket were already sodden with blood his face said '_how did that happen? I don't remember that happening'_.

"Joshua. Pick him up! He needs help." I tried to stand up but I felt wobbly. Someone else scooped me up. "Alec. Alec…" my world faded into complete blackness.

* * *

"Angel? You awake?" I lay very still, my head spinning, nausea threatening to overwhelm me.

"Where is he?" I whispered, my voice sounded raspy and my throat felt like it was on fire. Someone handed me a bottle of cool water and I gulped it down. "Where is he?" I asked more insistent now.

"Max." someone out of my immediate eyesight said, "She's awake." I heard someone come in.

"All right everybody out!" Max ushered the small crowd away from my bed and then bent to help me into a sitting position. "How d'ya feel?" she asked concern in her dark eyes.

"Where's Alec?" I repeated.

Max sighed and closed her eyes. "No. No!"

"He's alive." She said.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "But…"

"He lost a lot of blood; we patched him up and gave him a transfusion now all we can do is hope."

I fought back tears, "Can I see him?" I whimpered.

Max nodded and helped me up. With her arm around my waist she led me to a room down the hall. His face was pale, paler than I'd ever seen him. His chest rose and fell with his breaths his eyelids almost purple against the whiteness of his skin. "I'll leave you two alone."

I settled myself in a chair next to him and very slowly reached out to brush his fingertips with mine almost afraid to touch him in case I made it worse. His eyelids fluttered and he fixed me with his clear gaze. Gingerly he shuffled over leaving enough room on the bed beside him for me to curl up next to him. "I was so afraid I'd lose you." He whispered. "I just want you safe."

"Don't you dare give up." I whispered into his shirt. "You have to stay with me. We have a future."

"Tell me about it." He asked softly.

I smiled weakly, "We could leave here. Go somewhere where it's sunny. Somewhere in the countryside maybe, with fields and forests and lakes for swimming. Somewhere away from all this fear and hatred. Somewhere we can be happy together. Maybe have a kid…"

"I'd like more than one." He interrupted.

"Oh yeah?" I smiled.

"Yeah. Three's a nice number. Two girls with your hair."

"And a little boy with your eyes."

"Sounds perfect." He said.

"So, you have to fight for it." I choked out. "You have to fight for us Alec. Please don't leave me. Please" I breathed. "I love you."

"I love you Angel."

I didn't know if this barcode had an expiration date. I couldn't say how many tomorrows I would have. But I wanted to spend them with Alec. In our own little broken world.


	4. Badguy and hero

**Bad-guy and hero**

I heard Alec open the door but stayed where I was, curled up on the bed in a patch of sunlight revelling in the warmth on my back. "Cats always seem to find the best spots don't they?" he said conversationally leaning against the doorframe.

I rolled over onto my back and stretched languidly peering through slitted eyelids at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Just dandy." Alec said wincing slightly as he slid his jacket off of settled down next to me.

"Liar." I murmured reaching up and running my hands through his thick hair. Alec caught hold of my wrist and pressed a kiss into my palm. "It's only been two days since you could walk! I wish you'd just stay in bed."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "She says while in my bed… hmmm the idea does have a certain appeal now you mention it." He kissed his way up the soft skin of the inside of my arm until his lips reached mine. I kissed him back gently careful not to jostle him or brush against his side, still heavily bandaged.

Alec groaned. "I hate this." He said against my mouth. "I want you."

"Easy there, tiger." I said, trying hard to suppress my own disappointment. "It's not really a turn on when the stitches pop out in the middle of…" I trailed off laughing softly. Alec reluctantly nodded his agreement and we forced ourselves out of bed.

We sauntered down to the main complex consisting of HQ, the gym, a large parking lot that acted as a common room of sorts for all of us to hang out and an old office that had a cafeteria which was now in use again. Alec had his arm around my waist, mine was crossed across my body so our fingers could intertwine. As we wandered through we passed several others, some couples, some alone, a couple of groups of kids playing around the alleys and pathways. "Can you believe it?" I said to Alex. "Look at them! They're playing! _Playing_! Just like real kids, they're getting the childhood we never did. It's fantastic!"

Alec squeezed me gently. "Hey Alec! Angel!" Joshua loped over to us. "I made a gift for you. A present. You come see." Smiling we followed him into the room he'd turned into his studio.

Joshua stopped us in front of a A4 sized, sheet covered canvas. "Ta da!" he sing songed as he pulled off the covering with a showman's flourish.

"Oh Joshua!" I breathed stepping unconsciously forward.

It was a portrait of Alec and me, beautifully painted in oils. Alec was standing behind me his arms tight around my waist, Joshua had perfectly captured the uneven grin, the mischief in his eyes, his head was slightly bent caught in the act of whispering something in my ear. I was leaning back into his embrace my eyes half closed, my mouth curved into a smile. Joshua had painted my cheeks slightly pink so it looked like I was blushing. The background showed the sky with the pale blues and pinks of sunrise. A new beginning. "It's beautiful."

With tears in my eyes I hugged him, the top of my head barely reaching his chest. Joshua patted my back. "You like it?"

"I love it. You shouldn't have." I stepped closer to admire the tiny details, each one of my crazy curls perfectly defined, a tiny dot of white in Alec's eyes to bring them to life.

"Aw sasquatch!" Alec said thumping Joshua's shoulder. "You're gonna make me cry."

"It's a present. To com… com… commemorate your," Joshua broke off suddenly. I whipped around just in time to see Alec shaking his head.

"To commemorate what?" I asked fixing the both of them with my gaze.

Joshua shuffled uncomfortably. "Your… your getting busy!" I gaped at him and Alec let out a bark of laughter. "Sorry it's late."

I narrowed my eyes as Alec who shrugged. "You can't rush art!" he joked.

He was saved with Max's entrance. "Hey Joshua I, oh hey guys. Wow! Joshua did you paint that? It's gorgeous!"

Max came over to stand by me and the painting. "Speaking of commemorations did you remember that the day after tomorrow is a year after you broke us all out of Manticore?"

Max stopped to think about it. "Oh yeah."

"I was thinking we should do something. Something to remember the ones that got left behind, or hunted down."

"Like a service?" Max asked.

"Just something to show a little respect and gratitude." I said. I'd been turning the idea over in my head for a few days.

"It's a good idea." Max said nodding. "We could all gather together. Say a few words, take a couple of moments to remember. It's a really good idea."

I had moved into the rooms that Alec was living in, not as soon as I felt better but as soon as Alec insisted that I go home and sleep. I'd glanced blearily up at him from where I was slumped in a chair next to his bed. "You want me to go?" I'd asked croakily.

"I want you to get a decent night's sleep."

"I'm really fine." I had insisted.

Alec looked at me, ""Don't make me get out of bed and drag you all the way to our apartment."

One small word had managed to make it through my sleep deprived brain. "_Our_?"

Alec had grinned. "Our." He nodded.

So I had gone back to Alec's, to _our_ apartment. But when I had lain down in the bed even though I was so exhausted I had barely been able to walk I found it impossible to sleep. I had crept back into the sick bay, back to Alec's side. Because a little sleep was better than none at all.

Now I woke up every morning limbs entangled with Alex's. He always woke before me, he needed less sleep but he never got up. He lay in bed next to me and every morning I marvelled at how normal it was. How many other couples just enjoyed catching a few quite moments in each others arms?

That morning I volunteered to go on what had affectionately become known as the 'frivolous forage'. Transgenics went outside the boundary on a fairly regular basis to buy or steal food, medicine and other necessities. But occasionally one'd be sent out with some cash and a list of 'frivolities' the transgenic city inhabitants wanted. So that is why I was wandering through Section 5 trying to find a decent lingerie shop.

The small boutique with a simple sign stating 'Madame's' in curly italics was tucked away in cubby hole behind a couple of fruit and veg stalls. Grinning I pulled out the list I had been given by several transgenics of the female persuasion from my back pocket. About half an hour later I exited my backpack now full of the requested items and a little something for myself to celebrate Alex's full recovery. The proprietor, a smiley elderly woman with fantastic taste in underwear, waved me on my way.

The streets were crowded and I subtlety checked that my hair covered the base of my neck. As I wound my way through the throngs I noticed a man walking with a woman. There was of course nothing suspicious in that fact alone but for some reason they caught my attention. I stared at them trying to pinpoint what was making my heart beat faster, adrenaline begin to surge through my veins. The gun in the man's hand was almost completely concealed behind the woman's back. The woman, who I know realised was really no more than a girl, sixteen years old at the most, was staring straight ahead fear behind her otherwise natural expression as the man leered at her.

"No!" whispered a voice in my head, sounding a little like Max, "Don't cause trouble! Don't get involved."

But then another voice, this time sounding exactly like Max said "Take that creep OUT!"

Quick as a flash I was at the man's side. Before he could even register my presence I pulled by my fist and hit him hard. Then I pulled the young girl out of his clutches and positioned her behind me.

The man had already cocked his gun and shot wildly in our direction, I pushed the girl aside and felt red hot pain on my arm. The grazed softer flesh of my upper arm a few inches below the rune now carved into my skin. I glared at the man and then said very slowly and pointedly, "Ouch."

I zipped towards him under his guard and seized hold of his arm, I brought my free hand down sharply on the inside of his wrist causing him to drop the gun I caught it and stuck it behind me in the waistband of my jeans. I took hold of his shoulders and pulled him downward raising my knee to meet his abdomen as he fell towards the ground. I kicked him over onto his back and rested my foot carefully on his throat. "Say you're sorry." I said increasing the pressure on his windpipe slightly.

He swore. I pushed down a little harder and watched his face turn an interesting shade of puce. "Pardon? Didn't quite catch that."

"Sorry!" he croaked.

"Very good." I turned to the girl. "Want to kick him in the groin? I'll hold him still." She shook her head mutely. "All righty then, count yourself lucky buster, if it's been me I'd have castrated you with a spoon." I kicked him once more with my boot toe for good measure and then bent down to retrieve my fallen bag. A collective gasp ran through the watching crowd. I stiffened. My hair had fallen forwards over my shoulder leaving my neck bare, the black barcode clear against my pale skin.

My eyes darted around looking for an escape route but the crowd was three deep in most places. The girl I'd saved stepped forwards cautiously. "Thank you." She said loudly enough for everyone to hear it and held out her hand. I took it.

Then, "Stop! Police!" sounded out behind me. I saw two policemen over my shoulder trying to make their way through the crowd. The people just in front of me hesitated and then parted allowing me to pass through unhindered. I called out my thanks and sprinted away, back to TC.

I'd just finished distributing my purchases when Alec called me over to the door of HQ where he'd been standing. "Hey Ange! So how'd the shopping trip go?"

I smiled. "Why don't you come back to the apartment and find out yourself?"

Max appeared behind him. "Anything happen?" she asked her tone too casual.

"Um…"

"Hey it's supergirl!" Mole called around his cigar and he tugged me into the main room where a clip of a young red headed woman was beating the crap out of a much larger man was playing out on the large screen.

"Oh." I said.

"Yeah! Oh!" Alec agreed watching me send the guy sprawling appreciatively.

"Now, Max." I said quickly, "This doesn't count as negative press does it?"

Logan peeped around her shoulder. "I think it's pretty positive actually."

Behind us Alec rewound the video and watched we down the guy again. And again. And again…


End file.
